The US President`s special envoy spoke about Trump`s efforts to achieve peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

ArmInfo. Unlike many other international conflicts, the necessary conditions for a peace deal were in place in the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict. This was stated by US Special Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff at an event organized by the Peace Council.

"We had leaders on both sides, Armenia and Azerbaijan, who were incredibly pragmatic, mature, and understood that a peace agreement was the best alternative to protracted conflict. And most importantly, we had President Trump with his full support for this process," Witkoff said.

He also spoke about his first visit to Baku, during which he met with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and the head of Azerbaijani military intelligence, Orkhan Muradov. "When we returned from our first visit to Baku, where we met with President Aliyev and his chief of military intelligence, Orkhan, we told the president about the problems in Armenia and Azerbaijan, how we felt the two countries were simply not working together properly. However, we felt that both leaders were at a point where they wanted to do something. And the president said, 'Make this a priority,'" Whitkoff said.

He added that after that, the process evolved into productive work, as US President Donald Trump began to pay special attention to the issue. Whitkoff also mentioned a meeting at the White House between Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. "I remember the meeting in the Oval Office. In front of the fireplace, across from Trump's desk, were two chairs. Sitting there were the prime minister of Armenia, a wonderful man, and the president of Azerbaijan. They were sitting, and the president was in the middle, and he asked them both to shake hands. He took the Prime Minister's hand and placed it on his own. He asked President Aliyev to place his hand on top. The US President was a bit like a football coach gathering the hands of all the players. And he said, "Now this will be a team." It was an incredible, epic moment, I will never forget it," Witkoff said.

He also noted that the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan, who had been at war for decades, were sitting together at that moment, holding hands on the US President's hand.

Speaking about the TRIPP program, the special envoy noted that the main focus is now on cargo turnover and the speed of delivery of goods to market.

"When the TRIPP program is launched, trade routes will be shortened by two and a half to three weeks." "Truly amazing things are happening, the whole world is coming together again," he said, adding that this could lead to major investments. Utkoff reiterated the US President's role in the peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

"President Trump was a key player here because I know previous leaders tried to find a way out of the complexities and difficult histories of Azerbaijan and Armenia. The leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan also played an important role in the peace process. This is due to him, but it is also due to the courage of the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan to gather in Washington on August 8 to sign this important memorandum." "I will never forget this," Witkoff added.

It should be noted that the joint declaration of August 8, 2025, is a historic document signed by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Washington, D.C., with the mediation of US President Donald Trump. The parties initialed a peace agreement and laid out a roadmap for establishing peace, ending the decades-long impasse, and strengthening economic cooperation in the region. The leadership of Armenia and Azerbaijan views the document as a turning point, opening new prospects for security, stability, and development in the South Caucasus.